


Breakfast Muffins

by Noel_Radcliff



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Breakfast, But there are chocolates, DAD76, F/M, Family Fluff, Flashbacks, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, It's more of breakfast on Valentine's than chocolates, Muffins, Multi, Multiple Pairings, Not Swiss, Overwatch Family, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 09:39:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17978933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noel_Radcliff/pseuds/Noel_Radcliff
Summary: Quite a savory treat to start off your morning. As a Valentine's gift? Questionable, but with a family as large as the reformed Overwatch, Soldier 76 thinks it's enough.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted from FF dot net. Anyways, belated Happy Valentine's Day, from the Overwatch family.

Jack woke up to the sound of an explosion.

He eyed the analog clock at his bedside table. Almost 3 am. In a swift move, he threw down the covers of his bedding, his hands already grabbing his pulse rifle as he made way for the door. Tactical visor on, he deftly stalked the hallways for an intruder. "Athena," He called for the A.I. for assistance.

"What can I do for you, Soldier 76?"

"Gibraltar seems to have been breached. Run a scan and alert the agents." He ordered as he checked the main compound, rifle raised in a threatening manner. Seeing it empty, he moved quietly towards the next room, which is the mess hall.

"If I may, Soldier 76," Athena suddenly sounded hesitant, but with his brain wired to prepare for any kind of danger, he wasn't able to distinguish the A.I's tone in time. "I believe that Agent—"

"Tracer?" He called out, seeing the familiar yellow tracksuit and chronal accelerator, the young woman fumbling with the oven at the kitchen, which was spewing black smoke. "Ah! H-hey there, dad…" She gave an uneasy smile as she coughed and fanned the smoke away with her hand.

He chose to ignore what he just called her. "What are you doing? And it's 3 am…" Soldier asked her with a raised eyebrow, his pulse rifle lowered and stance slack. "Were you hungry? I thought Mercy said there were leftovers from last night's dinner."

"No, no, I was...uh…" The Brit looked down bashfully, and Soldier took notice of the messy kitchen counter. There was flour everywhere, on the counter, the floor, and even on Tracer's hair and clothes. "Were you...trying to bake something?" He questioned uncertainly as the young woman hung her head, and slowly nodded.

"'You could've done this later in the morning, where I wouldn't think we're being invaded." He sourly added as he made way to inspect the oven. Tracer sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, yeah. But I don't want to be late, ya know?"

"Late for what?"

"Valentine's, dad."

Soldier 76 finally stopped, confused. His mind tried to trace back today's date. They celebrated a quiet New Years, as they tried their best to avoid UN confrontation alongside fighting Talon. But that seemed a long time ago. Has it already been February? "I forgot." He grunted as the young woman allowed herself to smile.

"Is alright. But ya know," She started scraping off whatever burnt disaster that was on the tray into the garbage bin. "I thought it would be nice to give everyone something tasty for Valentine's."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate charcoal from you, Lena." Now it was his turn to smile, as she stuck out her tongue at him in a childish manner. "Hey, how about you help me out here, dad? I wouldn't wanna blow up the kitchen a second time." She laughed heartily as he pondered on the thought. While he can claim how great he is on the grill, baking is another story. The only other people who knew their way around the kitchen would be Brigitte, Mercy, and surprisingly, Roadhog. Zarya would sometimes cook as long as Mei is there to help out, and the last time D. Va and Lucio tried to make something Athena actually rang the fire alarm.

Maybe he should help out, just this once. "Alright, what are we making?" Lena let out a happy giggle as she blinked out of the room, leaving a trail of blue light, and zipped back, this time, holding a holopad that shows a list of recipes. "I tried to make these cupcakes from the Lifestyle website. Er, I guess I forgot that Celsius is different from Fahrenheit." She apologized as Soldier 76 took the holopad and briefly perused its contents. He winced on how these recipes were almost half a century's old, more ancient than he is too.

He saw a muffin recipe that caught his eye. "Well, since it's already morning, we can do breakfast muffins." The British woman's eyes seemed to light up as he showed her the ingredients list. "Seems easy enough. Why don't you grab the ingredients while I prep the counter?"

"Sir yes sir!" Saluted the young woman, who disappeared in flash of blue light, probably heading off towards the pantry. Soldier 76 merely shook his head with a wry smile as he tied an apron and started cleaning up the initial mess.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of a filler, really, or a drabble, whatever it's called. Flashbacks, right that's the correct term. Mercy76, with a side of Pharmercy and Emergenji.

They made quite a big batch and finished an hour or so later. Surprisingly, they did not burn or waste anything, although Soldier 76 had to make sure Lena was doing the right measurements. He had to stop her from operating the oven, as well as prevent her from eating the muffins. He then insisted that he clean up, and ordered her to go back to sleep, seeing as they have mission directly after breakfast. The brunette whined and eventually relented, leaving him to deal with the kitchen.

He thought about today. Valentine's day wasn't considered to be important enough for him to remember, seeing as he had no reason to celebrate, and his girlfriend thought he was dead. He, in turn, thought she moved on. That was it until several months ago, when he and Ana agreed to come back to Overwatch, that he realized Angela never did get a new lover.

 

They had recently just touched down on Gibraltar, after alerting Winston of their (rather Ana's) sudden reappearance into the world. It was almost a year since he launched the recall. The scientist had sent out Tracer and Reinhardt to pick them up via drop-ship. After enduring the German giant's back-crushing hugs and Lena's consistent questions, they found themselves surrounded by old and new faces.

_(He missed them so much.)_

He stood by his friend, awkwardly trying to his best to not look awkward amongst the swarm of their old comrades. Jesse McCree came back, although reluctantly, but he hugged Ana like his own mother. Fareeha, now older and taller than the young one he was accustomed to, was crying as she joined Jesse in hugging her as well. He had been informed of the new recruits, such as the Korean MEKA pilot D. Va and the Brazilian freedom fighter Lucio, who are now shaking hands and introducing themselves with the Egyptian sniper. The infamous Junker duo was there, alongside Genji and his brother Hanzo Shimada. He was shocked to find Mei still so young, as if her age had frozen, standing beside the Russian bodybuilder he came to know as Zarya. There was a Bastion unit tentatively standing by the sidelines, alongside the Swedish dwarf Torbjorn and—

"A...Ana?"

The pair turned around (he was faster, that's a voice he can never forget) and came face to face with Angela. Only, he thought was Angela—it's been a long, seven years since he last saw her. Her blonde hair, once preppy and tied into an unkempt ponytail, was longer and fraying. The signature sparkle in her eyes was gone; instead, a dull glimmer shined over her baby blue hues, which were wide in shock as she took in the form of the older woman beside him.

Without warning, the blonde ran up to Ana, arms wrapped around her torso, as she happily sobbed onto her shoulder. "Oh, Angela," The sniper smiled as her hand patted the doctor's back in a soothing manner. "It's good to see you too." She said as the other pulled back and wiped the corners of her eyes, a genuine smile gracing her features.

_(He missed her smile so much.)_

"I'm so glad you're safe, Ana. Fareeha and I...we missed you terribly." He could hear her words bubble, threatening to tear up once again when it was Ana's turn to wipe the small tears forming on her aging face, nodding and laughing slightly.

He felt his stomach do back flips when she finally turned to him. He was slightly disappointed when she didn't hug him too, but he had to remind himself that Jack is already dead. He's not him now. "So, you're Soldier 76." He noted the slightly harder tone applied, wincing at how half of them, mostly the veterans, were regarding him with obvious distrust. Of course they've seen the footage. He bashed a piñata on a guy's head; in front of a child nonetheless!

Of course they wouldn't trust him. "Reporting for duty, Dr. Ziegler." His gruff voice sounded as Angela drew closer to him, her eyebrows knitted into a frown. He watched her size him up. He knew she saw the biotic field device by his hips, and that's something that will land him in trouble with the angel in front of him.

However, Angela's face softened and for a moment, he though he saw a flash of sadness pass by her features before it disappeared completely. "Thank you," She breathed as he stood, stock still, at the smile she offered to him. "For keeping Ana safe."

 

He was suspicious (and jealous, as Ana pointed out, though he wouldn't admit it) of her seemingly close relationships with Fareeha and Genji. Last year, Angela gave Genji a box of Swiss chocolates, after she learned that it was customary in Japan for the girl to give chocolates to the boy, and the boy would return the favor a month later. He remembered how bitter he was after Ana—and Fareeha, who told her—mentioned it so casually, that he grumbled about it for weeks at the time, still refusing to shed his mask or tell anyone of his problems.

Even so, the old soldier still wanted what is best for Angela. Genji is a nice, young man. Sure he was a playboy, but he completely changed after he met the Swiss doctor. Calm, more reserved, and annoyingly charming that anyone would fall for the cyborg ninja. He had his own personal fan base back then. When Overwatch disbanded, he would send her letters from his new home in Nepal, something he deemed to be quite romantic. He wouldn't even blame her if she fell for him.

 

_"I am taking the objective, join me!"_ Genji's voice rang over the comm as Soldier 76 gave the order to push to the point. They have two more minutes, they can do this. A sudden scream, however, pierced his ears. "Genji! I was too late..." Came Angela's worried voice, that broke the older man's heart. While he can't afford to have another comrade's death, hearing her voice in such a way had him sprint faster to the point.

With no regard for his safety, he ran from cover and turned on his tactical visor, shooting down the assailants forming around the fallen cyborg ninja. The familiar golden glow of Mercy's wings surged forward beside him, Caduceus ready to resurrect, as Reinhardt brought up the rear, shield up and protected Mercy from the barrage of bullets.

 

Fareeha was also a nice, young woman. She actively supported the team back in the original Overwatch days, opting to hear their stories straight from their mouths and not from the reports. She liked Angela for always supporting her in training, and keeping her company whenever Ana went on a mission. At her supposed death, it was the good doctor that cheered her up. She has always been blunt, but sweet and caring. He wouldn't be surprised if the two ended up together.

 

_"Keep the skies clear for me."_ The blonde smiled at the younger woman beside her. Pharah grinned as she placed her helmet back on, her hand reaching to hold hers. "Let's keep the skies clear, together." They were a good team, great partners. Having Fareeha up in the skies, keeping Widowmaker at bay with Angela gliding to and fro, he sensed the younger Amari to clearly have feelings for their blonde angel.

 

And what did Jack Morrison do to deserve such a angel?

Well, Jack had everything. He was Overwatch's Strike Commander, the poster child in fact. He made a living out of shooting guns and saving people, and apparently, part of the job was to always look good for the cameras, whether it's at a press conference or in the battlefield. He, alongside his team, stopped the Omnic crisis and preserved the peace. The golden years of Overwatch have been under his supervision, and even in his 'death' he was immortalized through the numerous statues of him all around the world.

And what Angela saw in him, he could never tell. Beneath that layer of success, he knew he wasn't perfect. He knowingly let Blackwatch do whatever they wanted, irresponsibly thinking that his best friend would do what's best for the organization. This resulted their disbandment, the Swiss headquarters blowing up, and him abandoning his family. Abandoning her.

_God, Angela._  He liked that name, it suited her. He liked the way she'd dote on him. One time, she said that he and Reyes were her most reckless patients. He would then find ways to meet up with her, often getting himself into little accidents just so she'd treat him—after a stern lecture, that is.

He liked the way she'd scrunch her cute face while typing out medical reports. The way she would wear this peach-tint lip gloss that only made her smile more dazzling than ever. Her unconscious biting of nails, the way she'd blow a stray blonde bang away from her face. The way she blushed the first time he took his shirt off, her angry lectures about his safety, her sleeping face so close to his heart on their first night together. He still likes her, loves her—

_He misses her._

Soldier 76 massaged his temple. This isn't a good thing to be reminiscing about at 4 in the morning. He's done cleaning and they have a mission a few hours later. He isn't getting enough sleep, not since Geneva, and he supposed this is not gonna help him. The old soldier unwrapped the apron from his waist and proceeded to hook it back by the door, when he spotted the holopad Lena left on the counter. The screen was still lit up, and there was a picture of Valentine's chocolates at the top of the website. Soldier 76 picked it up and tapped the recipe, a small idea slowly forming in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is definitely an edited version of the FF one. I don't know if I'll edit that one out, since I only did it because of how different this website's layout is.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family wakes up and tries out 76 and Lena's creations. He finally meets up with Angela.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, AO3 has around 30k+ fanfiction on Overwatch, that's ten times as much as the ones on FF dot net. Damn, that's crazy. And ya'll are thirsty too, I like that.

Another hour later, 76 had finally finished doing whatever he needed to do in the kitchen, and frankly, he's exhausted. He didn't let it show, even when a sleepy MEKA pilot walked in, holding a bag of Doritos in her hands.

"Huh? What are you doing here, dad?" She mumbled, startling the old soldier. He composed himself, letting out a small cough while getting rid of the apron. "...Me and Lena made breakfast. I just finished cleaning up." He confessed as D. Va, aka Hana Song, mutely nodded before the realization hit her.

"What?!" Her eyes widened at the thought. "You made breakfast?!" Soldier winced at her voice.

"Yes, now quiet down." His unconscious, fatherly instincts started to kick in. "It's still too early." Hana, however, doesn't seem to be listening.

"What did you make?"

"Breakfast muffins. It's not much—"

"Aw, aren't you such a sweet dad?" The girl teased him as Soldier grimaced.

"I'm not your father, kid."

"Yeah, and Angela isn't mom now isn't she?"

He was glad he's wearing the mask, as it prevented her from seeing the blush spreading across his face like a fever. It's true that sometimes he felt like a sort of father figure amongst the young recruits, but even so, it's embarrassing when they view him as such alongside the medic as the mother figure. While he did think of Overwatch as his family, a real one would be nice too. Not once did he think to retire from the battlefield, but occasionally, the thought of the farm he once lived in felt like a home he'd love to settle in, and imagined what would it be like if he returned home, after a hard day's work, to his partner and a child of their own, maybe a dog or a cat or both, listening to an ancient radio or working on the fields, waking up next to Angela—

He snapped his eyes shut and shook his head. He really has to stop thinking about their medic. "Since you're here," He started, making Hana tilt her head to the side. "Help me put these on a table." The little gremlin grumbled, having to do work so early in the morning but Soldier shushed her. He really is the 'dad' of Overwatch.

Having Mercy as the 'mom' isn't a bad idea.

They made multiple trips to and from the kitchen, and since then, the rest of the crew slowly trudged into the cafeteria. The veterans walked in first, a nod and some greetings exchanged here and there as they noticed the pile of still-warm breakfast, wafting a pleasant odor. "Oh? I didn't think you still got it, Jack." The Egyptian sniper privately said as Soldier 76 glared at her for using his name.

Thankfully, no one heard her. " _Guten morgen_ , my friends!" Bellowed Reinhardt, already donning the armor but without the hammer. Beside him, Jesse walked with Hanzo, the bowman clutching onto the cowboy's hat, teasing his bedhead. They nodded at 76 before seating themselves with their respective breakfast, where he whipped up some bacon and eggs at the side. "You've been at this all night?" Jesse's southern drawl reached his ears as he passed them a plate.

"Kind of. I helped out Lena earlier." As soon as he said that, a blue light flashed by and Lena appeared, still so energetic even after two hours of sleep. "Good morning, loves!" Her infectiously cheerful voice made him smile behind the mask.

"Morning, little lady."

"Good morning, Miss Oxton."

"Morning, did you sleep well?" He asked, just in case. Lena rolled her eyes. "Yes,  _dad_." But she patted his shoulder, sending him a cheerful grin. "Thank you for helping me out. You were pretty cool, 76." She then grabbed a plate of the warm pastry before zipping outside of the mess hall. "Winston! You gotta try this!" Was the last thing they heard before she came back, this time with the gorilla scientist.

"Valentine's day muffins." Ana is already at her second helping of the pastry. "Not a bad idea, Lena." She said, making the brunette giggle in delight.

"Dad's actually the one who suggested that."

"Really now?" The sniper then turned to the old soldier, her face twisting into a sarcastic smirk. "He seems to be a great baker, don't you think so?"

He groaned as everyone had a good laugh. Sure, next time he won't volunteer to do the cooking. Hell, he'd let Junkrat cook (as long as Roadhog is there) or even Bastion (he knows he'll regret it). Soldier 76 made his friends coffee as he sat down next to Ana and Reinhardt, grunting at the amount of praise he and the brunette were getting.

Breakfast slowly trickled by, as more people started coming in. The low hum of conversation filled the hall, as well as the clattering of plates and cutlery. He would catch himself staring at the doorway, hoping to see Angela. The older woman beside him caught him staring, and chuckled deeply. "If you're so excited, go see her now." She said as he scowled at her.

"What makes you think I'm waiting for her?"

"Jack," He scoffed at the name. "After all of that, you think there'd be any other woman besides her? Anyways, you owe her an apology."  _An overdue apology among the thousands._

But maybe she's right. Their last mission didn't go so well. In addition to Fareeha's broken arm and Jamison's need to replace his leg, the simple escort mission turned deadly at the appearance of Talon and one his most hated enemies, the Reaper. They did managed to secure the payload, but not after paying the price.

 

_"Payload's secured!"_ He shouted to the comm, his pulse rifle whittling away as he reloaded clip by clip. "Tracer, do you copy?" The comm crackled to life as he heard the familiar British accent.

"I'm on it, 76!"

"Rendezvous to the drop ship, now!" He ordered, hearing the collective affirmations from the team. Roadhog heaved the other Junker onto his back, who lay limp and motionless from a torn off prosthetic. "Drop ship incoming in sixty seconds." Athena forewarned. They managed to keep Reaper at bay, but Widowmaker is still out there. She shot Pharah down from the opposite end of their area just as they were heading back.

"I'm hit!" The younger Amari cried out, muffled gasps of pain and groans sounded in the background, followed by a crash. From the corner of his visor he saw Mercy move from her position, her eyes in frantic stupor.

"Fareeha, I'm coming to you!" Said the angel, her wings ready to deploy when Soldier roughly slammed his shoulder onto the blonde, knocking her down and keeping her in cover.

She hissed, either because of him or the pain, he didn't have the time to think nor to apologize. "Ana, you're closer to her position. Think you can help Pharah out?" He ordered through the comm, one arm keeping the struggling Mercy in place as well as the other one ready to shoot down any escaping Talon agents in line of his sight.

"Of course, I'm already heading over, habibi."

"76!"

He looked down to see a fist punching his jaw, which only seemed to make him flinch. Not that it hurt, but it was quite the surprise to Soldier. "What do you think you're doing?" Her venomous words weren't enough for him to simply let go of her. Instead, this only served to hang onto her more tightly.

"Quiet." He said through gritted teeth. "Trust Ana. Pharah will be up in no time." When she only struggle and didn't say anything, he sighed. His other hand went to pat her hair, gently stroking through her blonde locks in a soothing manner as he massaged the sore part of her back. He could hear her trying to restrain whatever anger she felt, the helplessness that she can't get away from. "I'm sorry. I can't let you out there on your own. You should know that, Angela." The last few words were uttered so quietly that he didn't notice his labored breathing. He unconsciously pulled her closer, cursing himself for getting so close to her, for speaking her name. He had no right. He absolutely had no right.

But he can't help it.

 

"Lucio! Junkrat! You have to try these, Dad and Lena made it!" Hana's excited voice distracted him from his thoughts, as he watched the young girl hand the musician and the Junker a plate. He can't help but grimace, despite enjoying the scene of the young ones happily eating their meal. The only way to resolve these conflicting emotions is to resolve them at once. He stood up and walked out of the mess hall, feeling around his pockets as he did so.

It was a victory, but a bloody one. Fareeha and Jamison were the only casualties, but hearing the kid scream in the middle of that mission had sent vivid memories of a bad time in him, of his days in the army and after the Geneva incident. He would sometimes shed guilty looks onto Fareeha's cast which, after two weeks, healed completely thanks to Angela's nanotechnology. Ana told him, time and again, that it wasn't his fault.

But he can't help it.

Especially if this concerns his new family. "Good morning, Soldier 76." He looked down to see the floating form of Zenyatta, with Genji catching up behind him. "Morning. Lena and I made breakfast." Instantly, he regretted his words. Omnics don't eat at all, and he's pretty damn sure Genji doesn't even need to eat to survive. But the two simply nodded at him in encouragement. "Thanks, breakfast for Valentine's huh?" He could sense that the cyborg ninja just smirked at him, even with his visor on. A fellow masked man would know after all.

He waved goodbye to the pair when he finally arrived at the medical bay. Angela's room was just beside it, but the past years made him realize that she rarely does sleep nor stay in her quarters. Her workplace had more of her personality than her own room, and seeing through the glass that familiar blonde ponytail bobbing in and out of sight just confirmed his thoughts. Hesitantly, he knocked three times before fussing with his clothes and the mask, making sure it's still on. Why is he acting such a damn school girl? "Please, come in."

There really was no turning back from this point. She looked surprised once he entered. It looked like she just finished filing a medical report "Hey," He cringed. Really, not even a cool greeting? "Breakfast is ready." He's sounding lamer than ever with each word coming out of the mask.

Angela had responded with a slight laugh, "Yes, Lena came by with a plate of those delicious breakfast muffins. Tell me, 76, how did you make that up from scratch?" She inquired as he rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"We just followed the recipe. There was nothing special to it." Her lips pursed as she stifled another giggle at that. He could feel his heart loudly hammering in his chest.

"Well, how about you take over breakfast duty from now on?"

"I make the kids breakfast, then we wait for your world famous Rösti for dinner? Not bad, Mercy." They both shared a chuckle.

He took a seat by her desk as Angela prepared some tea to go along with the pastries. He saw the mass of paperwork cluttering the said desk. "Don't tell me you were working yourself late?" He carefully questioned her, accepting the mug from her delicate hands even though he can't drink it.

The blonde let out a tired sigh. "I  _did_  get myself some sleep, 76." She was quick to point that out when he merely shook his head.

"Still," His gruff hands nursed the steaming mug. "I know you just woke up." She took another bite of the muffin, as he watched her face savor the food.

_Cute._ "Have you eaten already, 76?" He shook his head. In fact, he hadn't tasted what he and Lena baked at all.

On her plate lay one more of the baked pastry. "You should at least try it then. It is simply divine." She tried to hand it to him when he shook his head once again. "You know I can't, Mercy." He was referring to the mask.

This angel, however, thought she'd push it. "Well, you could always take off that mask. It's just the two of us here." There was a suggestive tone to her voice, and while Soldier wanted to play, he knows he can't. There is a line he mustn't cross.

And his toes were barely crossing over it. "I will grab a bite, after everyone else." He shifted away, just as she got up and drew closer. He was startled to see her hand raising (his own twitching out of fear), only to gently rest on the cheek of his mask. He raised his own to prevent her from possibly ripping it off, but this only caused him touch her hand,  _and goddamn he wanted to take her in his arms, right there and then._

She wore this look that seemed to know something. A deep longing that almost seemed familiar. He gulped down a lump from his throat.  _Do it now._

From his pocket, he produced a small, makeshift box. Wordlessly, he handed it on her outstretched hand. She curiously looked at it before turning to him, demanding some sort of explanation. "...For Valentine's." He managed to mumble out before cringing inwardly. God, he wished the floor would swallow him whole. He watched Angela's blue eyes widen slightly, her fingers working around the box before the scent of cocoa flitted through the air.

"It's not Swiss," He started when she didn't say a word. "But I hope you like it." He said softly, trying to gather some sort of reaction from the doctor. He watched, like a hawk, for any signs of disgust or rejection. But Angela never did that sort of thing. Always the angel, always the kind one.

~~_"Thank you, Jack."_~~ His breath hitched. That was just...his imagination, right?

"Thank you, Soldier 76." She said, trying out a piece of the chocolate before giving out a contented sigh. He blinked and nodded jerkily as he tried to look away. Find something else to distract him. Maybe direct her attention back for a quick mission briefing.

He could mention her muffin getting cold, or the mission starting directly after breakfast, or that small lock of hair barely touching the corner of her lips— _stop_. "Let's get going, Mercy." And just like that, he willed for everything to go back to normal, back to their work. ~~~~The medic gave him a slow, slight nod, and he can't help but notice her hand had returned to his mask. It wasn't just touching it; it was fiddling with the material, drawing small circles all the way to the back of his head. Her fingers lightly brushed against the tips of his silver locks and he can't help but feel a pleasurable shiver run down his spine.

He wanted so badly to rip it off. He wanted to look at her with his own eyes and not through a visor. But he knows he can't. This mask was the only barrier between him and Jack Morrison, between the man who had everything and the man who lost everything, between him and the angel before him. He knew the truth would only break her apart.  _Not now._  He slowly took a step back, coughing awkwardly.

_After the mission, after everything._  He would tell her.


End file.
